Summary
When playing Mario Kart, your instinct is to usually head straight for Grand Prix. But forMario Kart World, Nintendo has offered a rival mode in Knockout Tour. Beefier than just a couple of rounds of Battle Mode, in Knockout Tour you’re taking full advantage of World’s giant interconnected map, and racing between a handful of courses all in one go.
You’ll have to stay speedy, because at each of the six checkpoints, thebottom four racerswill be removed. Unless you want to be stuck as a spectator, you’ll need to be on your A game. Just like the standard Grand Prix, there are eight Knockout Tour cups, but some of these marathons are a lot more enjoyable than others.
8Spiny Rally
Boo Cinema, Starview Peak, DK Pass, Salty Salty Speedway, Peach Beach, and Wario’s Galleon
While it’s the least fun to play through from beginning to end overall, the Spiny Rally is at least fun to start with.Boo Cinema has a fantasticatmosphere, making it a distinct starting point, and working your way through to Starview Peak is a clear highlight, but by the time you’re done with DK Pass, it goes a bit off the rails.
While Salty Salty Speedway and Peach Beach are some of the most enjoyable tracks in the game, some of their worst segments are highlighted in this Knockout Tour, and it makes them feel overly chaotic. It all comes to a head with the last lap around Wario’s Galleon. It’s one of the toughest tracks in the game, and thanks to its unforgiving, speed-killing waves, it makes the finale of the course feel like it’s up to chance.
7Cloud Rally
Airship Fortress, Shy Guy Bazaar, Mario Bros. Circuit, Crown City, Faraway Oasis, Great ? Block Ruins
Some of the best Knockout Tours in Mario Kart World are the ones with a clear theme, and that’s part of the reason why Cloud Rally feels so hodge-podge by comparison. When you look at the layout on the map, you’ll see that practically every lap of the race will have you entering a new biome, and it just makes it feel like a relatively random selection.
The highlight is definitely the extended journey over the bridge from Crown City to Faraway Oasis, since it’s the most consistent part of the track, but the rest of it just feels like an afterthought. Ending at the Great ? Block Ruins makes sense since it’s so detached from the rest of the map, butthanks to how chaoticthe course can be, it’s often the source of a late-game upset.
6Moon Rally
Like the Cloud Rally, the Moon Rally also sticks out for not having much of a consistent theme, but it at least has a much stronger starting point. Beginning at Bowser’s Castle and heading down a consistent decline into Toad’s Factory makes the starting laps some of the most exciting, but then it all starts to feel pretty random.
While Moo Moo Meadows, Dandelion Depths, and Cheep Cheep Falls are all great courses in their own right, having them back to back feels a little too overwhelming and busy since they’re such strongly themed tracks. And after all that, it’s decided at Faraway Oasis, a more chill course that ends up feeling like a little bit of an afterthought.
5Golden Rally
Desert Hills, Mario Bros. Circuit, Choco Mountain, Moo Moo Meadows, Mario Circuit, And Acorn Heights
As the first Knockout Tour you’ll likely select, Golden Rally serves its purpose well in introducing you to the concept of this new mode. You don’t rush through a whole selection of biomes, and instead the course feels like a naturally occurring road trip from the desert to the lush plains and then up into the forest.
The Golden Rally really sells the idea of the Knockout Tour being a cross-country trip, and it uses some of the best intermission tracks as well. It’s a simple but enjoyable journey, only slightly let down by its conclusion at Acorn Heights. It’s usually a fantastic track, but as the final moments of a Knockout Cup, the layout can end up feeling a little too chaotic.
4Acorn Rally
Arguably the best aspect of Knockout Tours as a concept is that they highlight areas of the Mario Kart World map that you might completely overlook if you’re only playing Grand Prix. The best example of this is the outskirts of Toad Factory where the Acorn Rally begins.
The busy beginning of weaving through the shipping containers and then down into the sewers makes it a memorable starting section, and the pacing is maintained as you work your way into Wario Stadium. The mid-section of the Rally isn’t particularly a standout, but not bad by any means, but the choice to end on a track as simple as DK Pass is slightly regrettable given just how basic it is.
3Ice Rally
Crown City, Peach Stadium, Cheep Cheep Falls, Dandelion Depths, Starview Peak, And Sky-High Sundae
Even though Ice Rally is one of the less challenging Knockout Tours to compete in, it stands out as a highlight thanks to just how well it’s laid out. The start that takes you from Crown City to Peach Stadium features some of the strongest city driving thanks to the strong intermission roads, and then Cheep Cheep Falls and Dandelion Depths are used well to keep the mid-section entertaining.
Then in the final stretch the Ice Rally really starts to live up to its name, with a frosty journey between Starview Peak and Sky-High Sundae. It’s one of the more intense courses in the game, but works perfectly as a fair but challenging ending to the Rally.
2Heart Rally
Shy Guy Bazaar, Airship Fortress, Dry Bones Burnout, Mario Circuit, Moo Moo Meadows, And Peach Stadium
Being the last Knockout Tour you’re encouraged to compete in, Heart Rally is one of the toughest challenges the mode has to offer, but it still manages to be an enjoyable journey from beginning to end.
Starting with a journey between Shy Guy Bazaar and Airship Fortress is as intense as you’d imagine, but by far the standout of the Rally is the journey over the walls of Bowser’s Castle as you make your way into Dry Bones Burnout. It’s a section of the map that you’d otherwise completely miss, and it’s full of challenging obstacles to make it an entertaining section of the course.
1Cherry Rally
Peach Beach, Dino Dino Jungle, Koopa Troopa Beach, DK Spaceport, Whistlestop Summit, And Desert Hills
Peach Beach gets its Knockout Tour redemption after its disappointing showing in the Spiny Rally by being the starting point of the fantastic Cherry Rally. Taking you along the southern coast of the Mario Kart World map, you’ll have a beautiful journey along the sunny beaches, while still participating in a challenging and engaging race.
The highlight of the Rally is the mid-section taking you between Koopa Troopa Beach and DK Spaceport, since you’ll get a unique perspective on two courses that are otherwise quite restricted during a normal race. By the time you’re at the end, it’ll be an intense rush against your last three rivals to make it over the line first.
